Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-13
stSend Food to john"

ssSend Food to john"
THE VOICE THAT THE DEACON HEARD THREE TWHS
In HIS SLEEP.
From the Albany Journal.
On the summit Of washington Mountain, over
looking the Housatonic Valley, stood hut, the
hoioe OF John Barry, . poor charcoal burner,
whose family consisted Of his wife and himself
His occupation brought him in but few dollars
and, when cold weather came he had managed to
get together only small provision for the white
After summer OF hard work he fell sick and was
Of December, is79, fell and the drifts had shut Oh
communication with the village ct the foot OF the
mountain John and mis- wife were In great straits
Their entire stock OF food consisted OF Only q
few pounds Of salt pork and bushel OF potatoes.
Sugar, coffee, -four, and tea had, early In Decem-
the farder were I slim indeed The snow.storms
came again and the drifts deepened. All the
roads, even In the valley were impossible, and no
one thought OF trying to open the mountain nign-
ways which even in summer were only occasion
any Travelled and none gave the old man ana MS
December Is came and with it the heaviest fall
OF snow experienced in Berkshire County in many
years The food Of the old couple was now re-
and d0s
and asking for help.
Deacon Brown, a weIl-to-do farmer. The deacon
a ana ms Vile aad gone to bed early and IN SPITE
VINE s5o raging without tho were sleeping oaa
his wife: "Who spoke? Who's there?" ':Why,"
said ; his Wife 'no one is here but you and me:
what's the matter with your" 81 heard a voice, y
said the deacon, Saying: send food to John. y"
"NonSense," replied Mrs. Brown Ego to sleep.
You have been dreaming" The deacon laid his
head on his pillow and was asleep In q minute.
Soon he started up again, and waking his wife,
said: "There, I heard that voice again: send
food to john" 'Well, WE'LL" said Mrs Brown.
"Deacon, you are not We'll: your supper has
not agreed with you. Lie down and try and sleep"
Again the deacon closed his eyes, and again the
voice was heard: "Send food to john" This time
the deacon was thoroughly awake. "Wife," said
ne, 'whO do we know named John who needs
food?" mo one remember" replied Mrs Brown,
"unlesS 1t be John Barry, the old charcoal-hurner
on the mountain" "Thats it." exclaimed the
deacon. "Now l remember, when l was at the
store the other day. Clark speaking OF John Barry,
said wonder II the old man Is alive for it Is six
weeks since saw him, and he has not yet laid in
his winter stock OF groceries, 1t must be old John
is sick and wanting food"
SO saying, the good deacon arose and proceeded
to dress himself "COme wife," said he, awaken
Willie, and tell him to feed the horses and get
ready to go with me, and do you pack up In the
Two largest baskets you have q good supply OF
food, and get us early breakfast, for am going
up the mountains to carry the food know JnO.
Barry ne .dS" That 1O-mile ride, which required
in the summer hardly an hour or two, was not I'm
1Shed until the deacOnS watch showed that five
hours had passed We can imagine the Joy OF the
old couple when the generous supply Of food was
carried in, and the thanksgivingS that were ut
tered by the starving tenants OF that mountain
hut